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62-457: The district, which lost accreditation in 2011, regained provisional accreditation from the state in 2014. In November 2016, the district announced it had gotten a high enough score on state accountability measures for the State Board of Education to consider full accreditation. However, the state's education commissioner told KCPS she wanted to see sustained progress. The earliest the district

124-604: A 21-story hotel and garage; however, the hotel portion of the plan did not materialize because of uncertainty about the future redevelopment of downtown. In August 2007, developer Dan Clothier announced he wanted to complete his original plan by adding an 18-story hotel tower atop a three-level garage. The $ 38 million project calls for the structure to house 200 hotel rooms or a combination of 160 rooms along with some residential units. In November, 2006, Barkley Inc. , an advertising and public relations firm formerly known as Barkley Evergreen & Partners, moved its 350+ employees to

186-596: A 5–4 decision, reversed a district court ruling that required the state of Missouri to correct intentional racial discrimination in Kansas City schools by funding salary increases and remedial education programs. The case began in 1977, when a group of students and the Kansas City, Missouri School District (KCMSD) sued the State of Missouri , federal agencies, and suburban districts around Kansas City on behalf of

248-454: A four room building on Eleventh and Locust streets. Originally named Kansas City High School, the school board changed the name to Central School in an effort to outwit the opposition. By 1897, the district employed almost 500 teachers. From 1985 to 1999, a United States district court judge required the state of Missouri to fund the creation of magnet schools in the KCPS in order to reverse

310-471: A major attraction for residents and visitors, and has had a civic impact on Downtown similar to that experienced by other municipalities, such as Baltimore and San Antonio . The T-Mobile Center (formerly Sprint Center), an 18,500-seat arena, was announced shortly after the launch of the Power & Light District. In 2004, a ballot initiative to fund the proposed arena through a tax on car rentals and hotels

372-567: A massive boom in renovations and new construction. Since 2000, the estimated cost of these projects has totaled over $ 5.5 billion. The Power & Light District, also known as the Entertainment District, is a nine-block area to the immediate south of the Central Business District. Originally to be named Kansas City Live, Cordish, Inc. of Baltimore, Maryland – which developed the area – decided to name

434-487: A multi-use property of apartments, child care center, and Park University school. H&R Block , Commerce Bancshares , UMB Bank , Kansas City Southern , BNIM , Great Plains Energy , Aquila , DST Systems, J.E. Dunn Construction Group and HNTB are also among the companies headquartered in Downtown Kansas City . The Barney Allis Plaza is a park at the intersection of 12th Street and Wyandotte. It

496-587: A prominent oval shape, mixed with blue-green reflective glass. This is among newer, glass-walled buildings, also including the Sprint Center and the Kansas City Star printing press across I-670 . Cordish planned four residential towers as part of the project, which include a 25-floor residential tower (One Light), to the immediate north of the H&;R Block headquarters on a lot once occupied by

558-505: A second Early Learning Center, Richardson, at 3515 Park Ave. Kansas City Public Television (KCPT) was signed on for the first time as Kansas City School District (KCSD), which owned the station until 1971. The school district put the license on the market in 1971. A group of civic leaders formed Public Television 19 and bought the license. The station relaunched in January 1972 as KCPT. That fall, it began broadcasting PBS shows in color for

620-544: A site formerly occupied by Trinity Lutheran and St. Mary's Hospitals. The bank was based out of a 21-story tower in the Downtown Loop until the Penn Valley Park facility opened in 2008. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has its Kansas City offices just west of Crown Center, which houses up to 6,000 employees. Construction began in 2004 and the building was completed in mid-2006. The IRS was also to occupy

682-691: A state senator, supported the annexation and said that he hoped that KCMSD would disappear via annexations within a 10-year span. The teachers' union of Kansas City opposed the move. Gwendolyn Grant, the head of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, supported the move; she said it would make the KCMSD school board more racially homogeneous and therefore reduce tensions within the school board. In November 2007 84% of voting residents within Independence and 66% of voting residents within Kansas City approved

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744-460: A theater, grass-lined rooftop observation deck, open floor plan, and gallery space featuring art from local and national artists. Barkley adopted the rocket ship as its new logo shortly before moving into the renovated TWA space. BNIM Architects moved to the building's third floor in 2014. The Commerce Bank Tower at 9th and Main Streets housed Kansas City's largest bank until it was renovated into

806-590: Is a micro transit service partnership between Ford Bridj and KCATA that began on March 7, 2016. Users download the Bridj app and use the service much like a taxi service. The merger and full coordination is expected to be complete by 2019. Missouri v. Jenkins Missouri v. Jenkins , 515 U.S. 70 (1995), is a case decided by the United States Supreme Court . On June 12, 1995 the Court, in

868-482: Is likely to regain full accreditation is 2018. In 2016, the district moved from their longtime offices at 1211 McGee in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri , to a Midtown location to be closer to district families. The school district serves most of the residents of Kansas City, Missouri . The school district's borders are not contiguous with the boundaries of Kansas City; notably, it does not serve any of

930-625: Is named after the prominent Kansas City hotelier, and owner of the Standard Theater, Barney Allis. From April 11, 2006 until 2011, it hosted the Kansas City Explorers , the World TeamTennis team. The Kansas City Sports Walk of Stars was constructed at the edge of this park in 1991, and the first three polished granite slabs bore the names of inductees George Brett , Len Dawson , and Tom Watson . The Walk

992-473: Is officially recognized by the city, and has used its common-law trademark since 1993. The Loop is the north central section of Downtown Kansas City; it is the most dense section of the city, and is surrounded on all four sides by the downtown freeway loop . Altogether, the Loop has an area of nearly one square mile. In 2006, the Downtown Loop had nearly 8,000 residents. The Downtown Loop encompasses Quality Hill,

1054-570: The City Council . The arena vote passed decidedly. Construction began on the T-Mobile Center in late 2004. Before this, however, and even before the vote, the city sent out requests to local and national architectural firms – including HOK Sports, Ellerbe Beckett, 360 Architecture, Rafael Architects Inc. and the world-renowned Frank Gehry – to bid on the project. The first four of the aforementioned firms, however, collaborated to form

1116-697: The Kansas City Streetcar Authority – operates and maintains the system. Unlike many similar systems around the U.S., there will be no fare charged. The city is planning to add multiple extensions to the starter line. In 2015, the KCATA, Unified Government Transit, Johnson County Transit, and IndeBus (all separate metro services) began merging into one coordinated transit service for the Kansas City region, called RideKC. The buses and other transit options will be branded as: RideKC Bus, RideKC MAX, RideKC Streetcar, and RideKC Bridj. RideKC Bridj

1178-486: The Kansas City Symphony , Kansas City Ballet , and Kansas City Lyric Opera. By May 2015, more than 1.5 million people had attended the center. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City is a 16-story office tower with a two-story operations center designed by Henry N. Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. It is at Penn Valley Park on the southern edge of Downtown, to the immediate west of Crown Center on

1240-689: The National World War I Museum and Memorial . Union Station and the rest of Crown Center connect via a skywalk called the Link. The River Market is Kansas City's original neighborhood on the Missouri River. The district contains one of the country's largest and longest lasting public farmers' markets, and several unique shops and restaurants. The Arabia Steamboat Museum is next to the City Market. The Town of Kansas Bridge reaches

1302-464: The Panic of 1873 , school funding was stretched as teachers took 10% pay cuts. There was sharp opposition to public education particularly of high school, which was seen as "squandering the people's money." When the school board attempted to construct a high school on 9th Street between Cherry and Holmes, it was criticized for its "extravagance." Instead, it opened what was to become Central High School in

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1364-428: The white flight that had afflicted the school district since the 1960s. The district's annual budget more than tripled in the process. The expenditure per pupil and the student-teacher ratio were the best of any major school district in the nation. Many high schools were given college-level facilities. Despite all the largesse, test scores in the magnet schools did not rise; the black-white gap did not diminish; and there

1426-514: The "Downtown Arena Design Team," and won the contract over Gehry's bid, with the city citing the companies had completed a variety of sports-related projects and were based locally as the reason for their selection. Since construction began, many local minority leaders have protested the construction company and contractors for not putting enough minorities in the construction and contracting teams. The contractors, however, assert they have complied with state and federal requirements and continue to meet

1488-416: The 18-year span of the case, the court ordered remedies that were focused instead on improving educational facilities and programs inside KCMSD. In 1985, US District Court Judge Russell Clark ordered the legal remedy of educational improvement programs, school facility repairs, and magnet schools , which were thought to be the best way to attract white suburban students back into city schools. In 1987,

1550-552: The 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s KCMSD closed at least 30 buildings. Some buildings were sold, some demolished, and some abandoned. In 2010 district superintendent John Covington submitted a plan calling for the closure of 29 of the district's remaining 61 schools. During that year almost half of the KCMO schools closed. By that year many students, instead of attending district schools, attended charter schools , private schools, parochial schools, and schools in suburban school districts. As of 2010

1612-614: The Center school district. At the end of the Civil War , there were no public schools in the entire state of Missouri . Aside from a limited number of private schools and colleges , there were few educational opportunities. During reconstruction, Radical Republicans advocated for strong statewide public education through several laws and the 1865 Constitution . As a response, the Kansas City Public School district

1674-548: The Central Business District, the Entertainment District, and the Government District. Districts in The Loop are: The Crossroads District , formerly a warehouse district from I-670 in the north up to Union Station in the south, is going through a period of revitalization, like much of the city. Buildings are being redeveloped for office and residential uses. Several restaurants and art galleries are now within

1736-450: The City of Kansas City, Missouri. Neighborhood Special Options School Signature High schools Elementary and middle schools Middle schools Primary schools Primary and alternative schools Downtown Kansas City, Missouri Downtown Kansas City is the central business district (CBD) of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City metropolitan area which contains 3.8% of

1798-583: The Conference Center, Meeting Rooms, and Barney Allis Plaza. This totals more than 800,000 square feet (74,000 m ). Bartle Hall was opened in 1976, in time for the Republican National Convention. As time passed, the need for more room grew. In 1994, Kansas City-based HNTB and BNIM designed an expansion that spanned over I-670 through downtown. After the project's completion, 388,800 square feet were available for

1860-554: The Downtown Council reported a population of 19,899 residents, 11,790 housing units, and a median household income of $ 61,491. In 2000, the population may have been as low as 10,000 people with 7,330 units. In 2005, the population density was approximately 5,617 inhabitants per square mile (2,169/km ) in its 3.0-square-mile (7.8 km ) area. According to Local Market reports, Downtown houses approximately 20,000,000 square feet (1,900,000 m ) of office space. However,

1922-855: The Performing Arts is on the northern edge of the Crossroads Arts District, just south of the Bartle Hall ballroom. Construction began on October 6, 2006, and the facility opened to the public in September 2011. It was designed by architect Moshe Safdie. The 316,000 square foot performing arts center consists of the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Theater, Helzberg Hall, and the Brandmeyer Great Hall. Its three resident companies are

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1984-710: The Riverfront Heritage Trail which leads to Berkley Riverfront Park , which is operated by Port KC. Launched by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) in July 2005, "MAX" (Metro Area Express) is a bus rapid transit line extending from downtown through the Country Club Plaza to Waldo . The MAX buses include GPS to transmit real-time data on the next pickup time to each station where

2046-555: The Transit Plaza at 10th & Main Streets and Grand Avenue between 11th and 12th Streets. On December 12, 2012, a ballot initiative to construct a $ 102 million, two-mile streetcar , to stretch from River Market to Crown Center , was approved by local voters. Construction on the line began in 2013, and the line became operational in May 2016. A new non-profit corporation made up of private sector stakeholders and city appointees –

2108-534: The academic gains made by KCPS students. In the 2014–2015 school year, KCPS has 13 schools which met the state standard for full accreditation, and another eight which met the standard for provisional accreditation. Missouri v. Jenkins is a case decided by the United States Supreme Court . On June 12, 1995, the court, in a 5–4 decision, overturned a district court ruling that required the state of Missouri to correct de facto racial inequality in schools by funding salary increases and remedial education programs. In

2170-587: The area's employment. It is between the Missouri River in the north, to 31st Street in the south; and from the Kansas – Missouri state line eastward to Bruce R. Watkins Drive as defined by the Downtown Council of Kansas City; the 2010 Greater Downtown Area Plan formulated by the City of Kansas City defines the Greater Downtown Area to be the city limits of North Kansas City and Missouri to

2232-566: The city north of the Missouri River . Many areas that have been annexed by Kansas City over the years are served by 11 districts based in the suburbs. It is bordered on the west by the Kansas /Missouri border line and on the east by the Independence and Raytown school districts. It is bordered on the north by the Missouri River. It is bordered on the south by the Hickman Mills school district and, at approximately 85th Street, by

2294-410: The cost of removing the "vestiges of discrimination." The Supreme Court ruled that while direct imposition of taxes is indeed beyond judicial authority, the district court could order the school district to levy the same tax: "Authorizing and directing local government institutions to devise and implement remedies not only protects the function of these institutions but, to the extent possible, also places

2356-485: The district after the historic art deco Power & Light Building. The present headquarters of the Kansas City Power & Light Company, a subsidiary of Great Plains Energy , is also on the district's northern side. Instead, a one-block area near the new H&R Block headquarters tower – devoted to live music venues – was named Kansas City Live! . The H&R Block building, which opened in mid-2006, has

2418-473: The district courts ordered mandatory salary assistance, arguing that to end segregation in the schools the district needed higher-paid, quality teachers. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in this case twice earlier. First, in 1989, to address attorneys fees. Then, in 1990, the Supreme Court addressed whether a federal court could order a local government to raise taxes above the state statute amount to cover

2480-438: The district's students. The district court then instead named the KCMSD school district as a defendant. The courts held that the state of Missouri was liable for segregated schools within the boundaries of KCMSD. Originally, the plaintiffs and the KCMSD school district wanted a "metropolitan plan," which would have included bus transfers to integrate and remedy the racial inequalities of inner-city and suburban schools. However, over

2542-581: The district, and the area has a monthly event known as First Fridays. They feature pop-up art galleries, food trucks, live music, and shopping deals. Crown Center is a district developed by Hallmark . Within Crown Center, families can enjoy an aquarium, Legoland, and Kaleidoscope. There are several mid to upscale stores, and hotels include the Sheraton and the Westin. The district is a short walk from

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2604-432: The exhibition hall. The expansion also included a grand ballroom, conference center, and meeting rooms. The facilities include Municipal Auditorium , an Art Deco venue built in 1934. It features an arena that seats 10,700; a music hall that seats 2,400; and a little theater suited for more private events. The auditorium connects via parking garage and skywalk to the rest of the convention center. The Kauffman Center for

2666-501: The first time. Dr. Mark T. Bedell joined Kansas City Public Schools as Superintendent on July 1, 2016. Interim Superintendent Allan Tunis was named to the position on June 11, 2015. He was chosen by the Board of KCPS to maintain a focus on increasing individual student achievement in every KCPS school through academic best practices, top-flight employees, sound management, effective partnerships and public engagement. Dr. R. Stephen Green

2728-449: The first year. Bonds were issued for the first public school building, The Washington School, located on the corner of Independence Avenue and Cherry Street. By 1869, it had been enlarged to eight rooms and held seating for 500 pupils. A two room brick building named The Lincoln School, was built in 1869 on the corner of Ninth and Charlotte streets and was the first public segregated school for African American students in Kansas City. During

2790-536: The flagship store of the Jones Store Company. Groundbreaking on the complex began in March 2006. As of 2023, One and Two Lights are complete, and Three Light is under construction. The Entertainment District practically shares a border with I-670. Enclosed between the residential towers and H&R Block's new building will be many shops and restaurants new to the Kansas City area. The new district has become

2852-435: The former TWA world headquarters at the district's southern edge. The building had been empty for two decades and cost over $ 30 million to renovate. Barkley also reconstructed the famous Walt Disney -designed three-story rocket ship that stood atop the building during TWA's tenure. The Moonliner signified one-time TWA majority shareholder Howard Hughes ' desire to guide the airline into space travel. Other renovations included

2914-468: The line stops; all buses have dedicated lanes during rush hour and stoplights can automatically change in their favor, if needed, if buses are behind schedule. A second MAX route opened on January 1, 2011 ( Troost Avenue MAX, or "Green Line"), which shares some downtown stops with what is now called Main Street MAX (or "Orange Line"). Most other KCATA routes have stops throughout downtown, centered on

2976-407: The lower courts had exceeded their authority in ordering measures such as across-the-board state-funded salary increases to fund continued quality education programs, which could not be sustained by local government. The Court looked to Board of Education of Oklahoma City Public Schools v. Dowell for the decisive question of "'whether the [constitutional violator] ha[s] complied in good faith with

3038-546: The nearby Kansas City Main Post Office building (the Post Office having moved across the street to a building next to Union Station ). The historic Freight House building in the Crossroads Arts District was built in the 1880s; it was renovated in the late 1990s, and it is now home to Grunauer, Lidia's Kansas City, and Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue . The original plan for the redevelopment included

3100-482: The north, the Kansas–Missouri state line to the west, 31st Street to the south and Woodland Avenue to the east. However, the definition used by the Downtown Council is the most commonly accepted. In March 2012, Downtown Kansas City was selected as one of America's Best downtowns by Forbes magazine for its rich culture in arts, numerous fountains, upscale shopping, and local cuisine such as barbecue . In 2013,

3162-524: The requests of local citizens. The T-Mobile Center opened in 2007; as of June 2011, the arena does not have an NBA or NHL tenant. However, the arena has served as the venue for events such as concerts and since March 2008, the Big 12 Basketball Tournament . The Kansas City Convention Center consists of several buildings, either connected to or adjacent to each other: Bartle Hall, the Grand Ballroom,

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3224-850: The responsibility for solutions to the problems of segregation upon those themselves who have created the problem." The Supreme Court added, "To hold otherwise would fail to take account of the obligations of local governments, under the Supremacy Clause , to fulfill the requirements that the Constitution imposes upon them." Later, on remand in 1993, the district court ordered the state to pay for salary increases for teaching and non-teaching personnel. The Supreme Court majority interpreted Brown v. Board of Education as restricting only de jure segregation and referred to Milliken v. Bradley and other precedents as applying only to intra-district desegregation. The Supreme Court argued that

3286-585: The school district had less than 18,000 students, half of its enrollment in 2000 and 25% of its peak population in the 1960s. In November 2007, the voters of the Independence Public School District and the Kansas City, Missouri School District voted for seven schools (one high school, one middle school, and five elementary schools) to be taken over by the Independence School District. Victor Callahan ,

3348-497: The schools. During that month a judge ruled that Independence had a right to control the seven transferred schools and the closed Anderson Campus. In August 2008 the Independence School District wired more than $ 12.8 million dollars to the Kansas City, Missouri district. The building transfer was completed. In 2014, KCPS re-opened Hale Cook Elementary School at 7302 Pennsylvania Ave. in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City. This

3410-600: The transfer. Jim Hinson, the superintendent of the Independence district, believed that the KCMO district fought the annexation because it was a "pride issue" and because the KCMO district feared that other parts of the district could secede. In April 2008 the Kansas City Missouri School District Buildings Corp. sued to receive a declaratory judgment on the value of the Independence buildings. In July 2008 Missouri Commissioner of Education D. Kent King asked for KCMSD to give up

3472-691: The vacancy of this space was at about 15%. Downtown has about 12,800,000 square feet (1,190,000 m ) of Class A&B office space, with a vacancy rate of 15.9%, and over 100,000 employees. Downtown has a total of 5,606 hotel rooms, accounting for 22.5% of the total amount of hotel rooms in the metropolitan area. The average occupancy of these rooms is about 56.5%. As of 2007, about 2,800,000 square feet (260,000 m ) of office space are under construction in Downtown Kansas City. Current investments into downtown redevelopment have exceeded $ 6 billion. Downtown Kansas City has been undergoing

3534-427: Was effectively passed by area voters. The project raised some controversy as Enterprise Rent-A-Car , whose owner is known for supporting a possible NBA franchise in the company's headquarters of St. Louis , lobbied against the tax and tried to sway public opinion against the arena. Some city officials, and citizens against the increased tax, also fought the project. One of the most prominent was Sandra McFadden-Weaver of

3596-635: Was in large part due to the grassroots effort by the Friends of Hale Cook community organization. The school had been mothballed since 2009. Hale Cook launched the school year with 108 students in pre-K through 2nd grade and will expand one grade every year until 6th grade. The same summer, KCPS also re-opened Central Middle School at 3611 E. Linwood Boulevard and Northeast Middle School at 4904 Independence Avenue as neighborhood schools serving 7th graders. The schools will expand to include 8th graders in 2015. In addition, KCPS expanded its pre-K program by opening

3658-468: Was less, not more, integration. On May 1, 2000, Kansas City Public Schools became the first district in the nation to lose accreditation. Finally, on September 20, 2011, the Missouri Board of Education voted unanimously to withdraw the district's accreditation status, effective January 1, 2012. In August 2014, the Board of Education granted provisional accreditation status to KCPS in recognition of

3720-459: Was organized, with the first school board meeting taking place on 1 March 1867. At the time there was 2,150 school age children in the district. Funds were able to be scraped together for the formal start of the school year in October 1867. Eight rooms across the city, from church basements to abandoned dwellings, were secured. Ten teachers started the school year, which increased to 21 by the end of

3782-417: Was superintendent from July 2006 to January 2008. Bernard Taylor was superintendent from at least May 2003 until 2005, when the school board declined to renew his contract. Benjamin E. Demps Jr. was superintendent from August 2, 1999, until sometime before June 2003. J. B. Bradley was elected the first as first superintendent in 1867 and also acted as a teacher for upper level students. All schools are in

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3844-664: Was superintendent until June 2015. He was officially named to the position on April 2, 2012, after being interim superintendent since August 2011. On Wednesday, May 13, 2015, Dr. Green was announced as the sole finalist for superintendent of Dekalb County School District in Atlanta, Georgia. He will stay at the helm of the Kansas City Public Schools until 30 June 2015. Dr. John Covington was superintendent from 2009 until his resignation in August 2011. Anthony Amato

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